Chairman's foreword

Not being able to afford to live in adequate warmth and comfort
in your home remains a real and persistent problem for far too many
Scots, notwithstanding the best strategic intentions of successive
Scottish Governments to eradicate fuel poverty from our society.
Moreover, it is now widely recognised as a problem which has some
particularly challenging rural dimensions to it and that is why,
just over a year ago, the Scottish Government decided to set up its
short-life Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force and why I was
pleased to accept their invitation to become its independent Chair
for the duration.

The creation of the Task Force has brought together a group of
very committed people with the broad range and depth of experience
required to analyse and recommend practicable and deliverable
solutions to Scotland's
rural fuel poverty/affordable warmth issues. I am
immensely grateful to them, as well as to all those who have made
presentations and submissions to the Task Force, for working so
hard and constructively in the collective process of generating
this evidence-based, solution-focused, 'action plan'.

Nearly a fifth of all Scots - about a million people - live in
"rural" Scotland which is defined by Scottish Government as
settlements of populations of 3000 or less. It is very concerning
to know that over half
[1] of Scotland's rural households are living in fuel poverty,
that is they have to spend upwards of 10% of their disposable
incomes on their total domestic energy usage. In remote rural
Scotland fuel poverty is 63%: nearly double that of the rest of
Scotland. The disadvantage is clear. It is shocking to realise that
so many of these householders (23% in communities defined by
Scottish Government as "remote" rural) are living in 'extreme' fuel
poverty, that is they need to spend at least 20% of their incomes -
often much more - on trying to keep their homes warm enough. This
is a significantly higher level than is found on average in
Scotland (9%) and demands serious and urgent attention.

The differing contributory causes and recommended remedial
actions are examined and laid out in this report, but the effects
on peoples' lives are much the same - cold homes, exacerbated
health issues, much higher than presumed 'average' fuel bills,
especially in inherently extra-costly off-gas areas, with no little
stress and hardship resulting for the households concerned and
which can then even push people into making choices like
'self-disconnection' or 'eating or heating' which are wholly
unacceptable in a modern, civilised society. It simply won't
do.

Rural Scotland needs and deserves a level 'affordable warmth
playing field', one where it will receive an effective and
equitable deal from the new fuel poverty strategy that the Scottish
Government will be laying before the Scottish Parliament. The Task
Force therefore welcomes the commitments which Scottish Government
has already given in its National Performance Framework to
"embedding equality considerations in all aspects of (its) policy
development and decision-taking", "ensuring that public funds are
invested with a focus on deprivation and equality".

This report is intended to provide a clear and constructive
guide to both Scottish Government and The Scottish Parliament on
how they can lead the way in tackling the rural dimensions to fuel
poverty. Central to this will be the need for a statutory framework
for delivery with full Parliamentary scrutiny of the progress made
in Scotland's rural and remote communities.

However, we fully recognise that at a strategic, national level
the
UK Government, utility
companies and Ofgem, all have crucial roles to play too and this
report highlights the actions that we believe they should also take
if, collectively, we are to eliminate the scourge of rural fuel
poverty. In addition, there are excellent local community providers
of advice, remedy and support whose work deserves greater
recognition and enhanced Government funding with expansion in some
rural areas. The Task Force wishes all concerned well in this
critically important and shared endeavour.